COMEBACK CONTINUED

Three days ago I turned 85.  I was surprised and delighted by the great number of happy birthday wishes I received from friends and family.  Because of commitments it was not possible to have everyone together at one time to celebrate this momentous occasion….lol.  As a result I was treated to a restaurant dinner one day, a pizza wine and beer party another day and then on the final day a home delivery of lobster bisque lobster roll.   All this besides some great gifts.   It was a fabulous way to start out on this new 2020 adventure this milestone birthday created.  Only one disappointment.  When I stepped on the scale on Monday morning I discovered that I had gained about six pounds. I worked hard for months to lose a bunch of pounds and have been trying real hard to maintain that loss.  Now I need to start over and make those new six disappear.

When I began my Blog comeback a short time ago my sister Patti suggested that I should write about some of the good, bad and weird things I’ve experienced in the past.  My recent 85^th birthday got me thinking.  Eighty five years of experiences….wow!  Plenty of material began to fill my mind, but which would be interesting to my Blog readers.   That’s the real challenge.  It was a little disturbing to see that the first thing that came to mind was shooting a good friend.  Thank heaven it was only a belly shot with a BB gun.

Another suggestion was to include copies of recipes from the “Rhino’s Recipes” cookbook I put together a few years ago.  That’s the easy part of my task.  Not so with deciding which story to go with next.  I’m going to sit down with a pad and pencil and begin listing a few of my past situations that might be of interest to you.

In the meantime, here’s a recipe you should consider trying:  The recipe created a very popular dish served in the now empty Lighthouse Inn (for sale now) in New London, Ct.  America’s Test Kitchen on Public TV featured it.  I made it for a dinner once and really enjoyed it.

LIGHTHOUSE INN POTATOES

2 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (about 1 cup)

1 cup panko bread crumbs

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus 6 tablespoons cut into 6 pieces

Salt and pepper

2½ pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks

3 cups light cream, divided (may substitute heavy cream but not half-and-half, which tends to break)

1/8 teaspoon baking soda (for stability and silkiness)

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a small bowl, combine Parmesan, panko, 4 tablespoons melted butter and ¼ teaspoon salt. Set aside.

In a large saucepan, combine the potato chunks, 2½ cups light cream, 1/8 teaspoon baking soda, 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. (You'll think that this is too much salt. You'll be tempted to use less. Don't do it. Follow the recipe. The sauce will be salty, but in the end the potatoes will be perfection.) 

Bring this mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. The potatoes will want to stick, so stir them frequently. Reduce the heat to low and cook at a bare simmer, still stirring often, until a paring knife slides easily into several potato chunks without the potatoes crumbling apart, 20 to 25 minutes.

You don't want the potatoes mushy. As soon as the biggest chunks yield easily to the knife, get them off the heat and stir in the remaining ½ cup of cream and the remaining 6 tablespoons of unsalted butter. Keep stirring until the butter has melted, about 1 minute.

Pour the creamy potato mixture into a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. (You'll want to butter the dish, but you don't have to.)

If you're making the potatoes ahead, proceed below. If you are cooking them immediately, sprinkle the Parmesan-panko mixture evenly over the top. Bake, uncovered, until the potatoes are bubbling and the crumb topping is nicely browned, around 15-20 minutes. Let the potatoes cool for at least 15 minutes before serving.

To make ahead and bake later: After the potato mixture has been transferred to the baking dish, let it cool completely, then cover the dish with aluminum foil and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. When you're ready, before applying the Parmesan-panko topping, bake the potatoes at 375 degrees, covered, until they're heated through, about 35 minutes. Remove the dish from the oven and apply the topping evenly. Bake again, now uncovered, for another 15-20 minutes until the top is nicely browned.

                                                                                                                                                       Serves 8-10